 Wouldn't
it be great if, instead of being forced to choose between operating systems
and their accompanying applications, you could simply boot up whichever
OS you wanted to use at that time?
For DOS games you boot DOS. To use Windows3.x, which most people have a substantial amount of money tied up in, just choose Windows. You probably want Windows 95 for self preservation if nothing else! Maybe you want OS/2 to utilize a true 32 bit OS. Did Ray Lopez tempt you to try LINUX with his article in the February issue of the Alamode? You can set your PC up to allow the use of all of these OS's by purchasing System Commander from V Communications, Inc. Windows 95 is a special case. It is predatory, in that it wants to be the only operating system on your computer. During installation it requires you to choose from several possible configurations, none of which are attractive. System Commander changes that by changing the way your computer boots up. It "replaces" your MBR (master boot record) with it's own MBR. When you boot, rather than the Computer's MBR, System Commander intercepts the boot commands, replaces it with it's own, and presents you with a menu of choices. After you choose which OS you want, System Commander then starts the computer using that OS's boot commands. Think of it as a navigator for the computer. Simply choose the OS, and System Commander takes over. The really nice part of this is that it uses no resident memory which prevents conflict with existing systems or applications. It also has it's own UNINSTALLER. The security setup is multiple level. You can password protect individual operating systems, boot options, and setup preferences. Another nice feature is it has an OS independent screen saver. It is also Netware compatible. Installation is from a single disk, takes only minutes, and can be done from DOS, or Windows. Before doing so, you better read the manual. The manual is one of the more detailed I have seen. V Communications has attempted to cover almost any possible question or problem you might encounter during installation and operation. There are 170 pages of information on operating systems, hard drives, partitions, and settings. Before you attempt to set up your PC with more than one OS, you need to understand much of what is contained in this manual. Since most operating systems are not compatible, you need to have a game plan on which systems you want on your computer prior to attempting installation. Part of this plan deals with partitioning and formatting your drive. If you already have an operating OS and want to keep it and everything else, the manual discusses the necessary procedures to do that. A little time spent beforehand will more than pay off later. If you are willing to start from scratch (formatting and partitioning the entire drive), then there are more options available, and proceeding is easier and quicker. NOTE: if you choose not to read the manual, and you use a compressed drive (Doublespace, Stacker, Doublestore, etc.) you MUST install System Commander on the HOST DRIVE (uncompressed portion). The operation of the compressed drive will be unaffected, but Systrem Commander needs to be on the uncompressed part. I like this utility, although it is somewhat difficult to utilize fully. This is not the fault of the software, but is due to the complexities involved in using multiple operating systems on one PC. The alternative, MORE THAN ONE COMPUTER, activates the bodies cooling system! V Communications claims that System Commander will allow up to 100 operating systems to exist on one computer. (somebody get the net!!!) Requirements for System Commander are:
|